I was watching the Sharks game, and they mentioned her, and I said to
myself, "is this the same gal I read about on the NG?" Until this post, I
saw no mention of her being the daughter of the Canadiens GM. Thanks for the
article.

--Mike

"NE Sailboat" wrote in message
news:PCefh.1244$e26.826@trndny04...
"It's unclear exactly what she was doing when a mid-Atlantic wave rushed
over the covered rear deck where she was working. Moreland said she wasn't
wear a life-jacket, nor a line to secure her to the deck."

Storm, night, Atlantic, ........... yet she wasn't wearing a life-jacket
nor was she attached to the ship.

Am I missing something? Safety never takes a day off. That is how my old
boss put it. If she had been attached to the ship, this would be an
onboard story about the big wave the other night.

Next time your crewmate says "I don't need a life-jacket, and I don't like
attaching this stupid satety strap". Tell him/her that safety never takes
a day off.

================================================== =====================================
Prospects bleak for missing sailor
Woman swept off tall ship on Friday is Bob Gainey's daughter
By MICHAEL TUTTON The Canadian Press


The "devastated" crew members of a Nova Scotia tall ship were making final
attempts in the darkened Atlantic late Sunday to find the daughter of
Montreal Canadiens general manager Bob Gainey.

Laura Gainey, the 25-year-old who recently discovered her passion for
sailing the high seas on the square-rigged, three-masted Picton Castle,
was swept off the 44-metre barque's rear deck by waves during a powerful
storm on Friday night.

Family, friends and former crewmates of the young woman were struggling to
contain anxiety and tears Sunday evening, after almost 45 hours of
searching by U.S. Coast Guard planes, a civilian ship and the Picton
Castle in an area about 700 kilometres off of Cape Cod, Mass.

A U.S. Coast Guard news release estimated Sunday evening that search crews
"have scoured" 2,400 square kilometres looking for Gainey. Officials
planned to continue searching through the night and into this morning.

Former crewmate Kimberly Helms recalled her first impressions of the
curly-haired woman as she climbed aboard the tall ship last spring in Cape
Town, South Africa.

"She's lovely, she was very cheerful. She was exceptionally enthusiastic
about being on the ship," she said.

Helms said whenever Gainey walked by the ship's galley, she'd shout in to
see if a hand was needed with kitchen work. Whenever one of about 50 other
shipmates were on watch, she'd stop by for a chat.

The ship's website shows a photo of Gainey laughing in a colourful bikini.
Another website set up by a newspaper photographer shows her cuddling the
ship's cat, Chibley.

Her confidence and happiness was a sharp contrast from her earlier life.

In past articles about Bob Gainey, who spent 16 seasons with the Canadiens
before becoming a coach and then general manager in the NHL, Laura has
appeared as a troubled teenager.

In 1995 - the year Gainey's wife Cathy died of a malignant tumour - Laura
was written about as a 14-year-old drug addict, who had to be sent to
clinics to cope with what sports writer Red Fisher called a "mind bending
culture of hash, marijuana, acid and speed."

Her recovery, and the fresh steps in the decade since, makes her loss all
the more sad for her father and family, said Helms.

Dan Moreland, the senior captain of the Picton Castle, said from Lunenburg
that Gainey was a "well-loved," enthusiastic volunteer on the vessel.

He described the situation as "completely devastating for everybody.

"She is hardworking, someone who wanted to turn her life around from
earlier stuff. She was passionate about it, loved it and worked very
hard," said Moreland. "She was no slouch."

Helms said she had just received a series of e-mails from her friend,
ecstatic about being accepted on a fresh trip to the Caribbean as
volunteer crew.

Her position as leading seaman entailed her taking a leadership position
in the watches, and instructing the volunteer trainees.

It's unclear exactly what she was doing when a mid-Atlantic wave rushed
over the covered rear deck where she was working. Moreland said she wasn't
wear a life-jacket, nor a line to secure her to the deck.

However, both he and Helms - a former paid crew member - said sometimes
crew don't wear life-jackets because it would reduce their ability to move
around.

"It seems this wave really filled up the decks," said Moreland. "There was
a great deal of water on board, and as the ship shook it off, Laura got
washed overboard.

"It could happen to any ship, to any captain, and from my point of view,
it's the captain's greatest fear."

In a news release issued by the Montreal Canadiens, the club said "the
thoughts and prayers of the entire Montreal Canadiens organization are
with Mr. Gainey and his family."

Gainey was awaiting news on the search with his three other children Anna,
Colleen and Steve. In the meantime, the club said that Pierre Gauthier,
assistant general manager, will take over Gainey's responsibilities.

Maureen Newby, the missing woman's aunt, told CTV on Sunday afternoon that
the family continued to hold out hope because her niece had substantial
sailing experience.

"I think it's probably two or three that she's been on - big voyages with
a tall ship, so she is experienced and a good swimmer and we're just
hoping that she'll be found," Newby told CTV.

The ship planned to continue its voyage to the Caribbean following the
search.

David Ostler, whose daughter is a crew member on the Picton Castle, said
from his home in Brampton, Ont., that he believes finishing the voyage is
the right thing to do.

"It's the safest thing to do. Coming back in the North Atlantic this time
of year, the seas can be heavy," he said.



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